The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has appointed retired judge of Delhi High Court Justice Mukta Gupta as new chairperson for its seven-member external inquiry committee, constituted to probe the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicide of a 31-year-old MSc student, after former Uttarakhand DGP and IIT Delhi alumnus Ashok Kumar recused himself from the panel, citing “prior commitments”.Students at IIT-Delhi during the third day of protests on Wednesday.Meanwhile, on Wednesday, students continued their protest for the third consecutive day, demanding the resignation of the dean and associate deans of the students’ welfare office and the head of the physics department, an independent investigation into alleged institutional lapses, ₹1 crore compensation for the deceased’s family, and an assurance that no action would be taken against students who participated in the protest.“We had constituted an external inquiry committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the tragic death of the student. Ashok Kumar, former DGP of Uttarakhand and an IIT-Delhi alumnus, was supposed to head the panel, but he recused himself citing prior commitments,” said an IIT Delhi source, asking not to be named.The MSc Physics student allegedly died by suicide after jumping from the sixth floor of the lecture hall complex on Saturday morning. Police have said no suicide note was recovered and are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.His death sparked protests on campus, which entered their third day on August 26. The institute constituted the inquiry committee on August 25 and informed students and faculty members by email around 1am. Kumar was named as its chairperson. The panel also comprised AIIMS Delhi psychiatry department head professor Pratap Sharma, two student representatives and the IIT Delhi registrar, who was to serve as secretary and convener.Later that day, a student delegation met the director and raised concerns over Kumar heading the panel. They alleged that his being an IIT Delhi alumnus could create a potential conflict of interest.A second-year BTech student involved in the protest said, “Protests are rare for us. It’s not that we don’t have issues on campus. Waterlogging during the rains and other civic problems have been concerns for students, but these have largely been addressed by individual departments or hostels. What makes this protest unusual is that it has blurred the strict divisions between departments and courses that typically exist at IITs.”Another student from the same department said some students who had planned to return home for Raksha Bandhan left several days earlier than scheduled because they were unable to resume their normal routines. “A friend of mine from the Physics Department was supposed to leave on Thursday, but he left for home late Tuesday because he felt uneasy on campus and found the past few days overwhelming.”Another BTech student said, “Why can’t the dean of student welfare, who is tasked with looking after students, take accountability? The director is shielding professors rather than standing for students. But we will continue protesting until the dean resigns.”According to minutes of the meeting shared by the students, they plan to escalate the protest and reach out to the alumni network through a signature campaign.Meanwhile, the IIT administration cancelled the ‘National Conference of President Awardee Teachers and Eminent Educator’, which was scheduled to be attended by Union minister of state for education Sukanta Majumdar on August 26.“Due to unavoidable circumstances, we regret to inform you that the event scheduled for 26 August 2026 at the Auditorium, Research and Innovation Park, IIT Delhi stands cancelled,” said an email dated August 26 from R&I Park senior faculty manager Bhupender Kumar.An official closely involved in the programme said, “We received a call just a few hours before the programme that it had been cancelled due to the ongoing student protest.”